The Greatest Shooter Ever Made

That's some declaration there, in that title. Some pretty big-ass declaration. For now, since I'm pretty damn tired right now, I'm only going to show you one screenshot. I want you to look at this very carefully, and remember that this is a computer game you're looking at. It's not a photograph. It's not a movie. This is a game, and that was rendered.


Honestly, I think it's even more jaw-dropping when you see it ALIVE, moving, and being able to immerse yourself in it. This is by far one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

I'll post a more detailed review later. Stay tuned.

A picture says...

...ah, you know the rest. Check it out:


Yes. That's exactly what you think it is.

Full story.

Upcoming Playlist

It's the holiday season. I really like this time of year, though it really has nothing to do with the proverbial Christmas spirit or Goodwill Towards Men. Goodwill has never been a word I've voluntarily associated with myself, but that's an entirely different story.

No, I like this time of year because all the computer game publishers are releasing their prime titles so the average consumer will rush out and by them for their loved ones and place them under the tree. And I say let them do that. Meanwhile, I will be buying the games and playing them. Right now. It's like a month of Christmases.

So last night, I placed an order for a few games that I plan on playing over my upcoming four-day weekend. This will be my upcoming playlist:

Crysis
I've actually already received my copy of this game, and I plan on finishing it this weekend along with playing the multi-player aspect. So far the game is AMAZING, and it truly has redefined how shooters should be made. I plan on delivering a full review after I've completed it.

Gears of War
Yes, it's finally out for the PC. This game really needs no introduction, as many people have already played it on their Xbox. Quite possibly the third greatest shooter of the year, behind only Crysis and Half-Life 2: Episode 2.

Unreal Tournament 3
What's not to like about UT? Blow people up. Dominate. Maps with odd gravity. Camera angles that follow rockets to their destination. And now we have the Unreal 3 Engine powering it and drivable vehicles. Oh yes.

Hellgate: London
I'm a sucker for a good story. And the idea of Hell invading London is intriguing to me, so of course I need to try this game out. Coupled with weapons that you can upgrade to your liking and an "action RPG shooter" sub-genre, there's a lot of potential here.

That's a lot of gaming goodness, and I can't wait.

In other news, you'll notice a few color changes to the blog. I was kind of starting to feel like a vampire with all the black and red going on, so I switched up the post color. Also, can anyone tell me why I had that awful green color for the post titles? Egad.

Ah yes, grinding

A lot of things about this one made me laugh. Comparing the most popular MMO to Tetris is hilarious in and of itself. The last line killed me as well. I'm so using that.

It's also funny because of it's truth, and this is exactly why there is a large number of people who will be quitting the game when the next expansion comes out. Including myself.

Yesterday I received my new computer. I refused to put myself through the torture of trying to get it all set up and running in an evening, because we all know that's not possible. So, it's still sitting in it's box waiting for the grand unveiling. That will take place on Saturday, most likely.

I did take out the binder of books and discs out of the box and read through some stuff, however. Apparently, I have my own specialized team of customer support representatives on hand to help me with any issues I may have. I have the names of about 10 people -- first and last names, and their position in the company. That's a neat idea, trying to make the customer feel special. I'm sure this group of people have hundreds of other people they are assigned to as well, but hey, at least I can use first names if I have to bitch at someone.

When I finally get down to setting this monster up, I'll see if I can remember to make a pictorial presentation for all to see.

So the current song that I'm listening to several times a day is "Bad Sun" by The Bravery. While the song itself sounds ridiculous most of the time (seriously, is that a Kazoo they're playing?), the lyrics are unique. I especially like the first few lines:

We are liars like the summertime.
Like the spring we are such fools.
Like fall we are false prophets.
And like winter we are cruel.

It's a Crysis

I think it's going to change the world, myself. At the very least, it's going to change the way games are made. I'm of course talking about Crysis, and it's only a few weeks away now.

I've seen the demos. I've watched the trailers. I have the screenshots. I've read the reviews. I've heard the hype. And I've never seen the entire gaming community agree on the kick-assedness of a game in this degree before. It's quite unprecedented, and I can't wait to find out for myself.

Skynet 2

[1] Area-51® 7500

Alienware P2 Chassis: Alienware® P2 Chassis with AlienIce™ 3.0 Video Cooling - Conspiracy Blue
System Lighting: Alienware® Standard System Lighting - Fusion Red
High-Performance Liquid Cooling: Alienware® Standard System Cooling
Power Supply: Alienware® 1000 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
Graphics Processor: Dual Graphics Processors - Dual 768MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800 Ultra - SLI Enabled
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX6850 3.0GHz 8MB Cache 1333MHz FSB
Memory: 4GB Low Latency DDR2 Performance SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 x 1024MB
Motherboard: Alienware® Approved NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows Vista™ Ultimate
Desktop Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 320GB (2 x 160GB) SATA 1.5Gb/s 10,000RPM 2 x 16MB Cache
Optical Drives : Single Drive Configuration - 20X Dual-Layer DVD±RW
Enthusiast Essentials: Dual High Performance Gigabit Ethernet Ports
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer High Definition 7.1 Audio - More Info
Monitor: No Monitor
Keyboard: Logitech® G15 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse : Logitech® G5 Laser Gaming Mouse
Warranty: 4-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienContact: Added Bonus with any AlienSupport Selection
AlienContact - Remote Alienware Support
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista Edition
Power: UPS Protection - Opti-UPS ES1000C (700W Capacity)
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Desktop Binder
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Internal Wire Management
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)


Edit: CM has dubbed it "Skynet Extreme" or "Skynet EX"

I Am A Sick Person

At least, according to this reporter, I am.

Soap box time.

Dear Terrence O'Brien,

It appears that your complaints about Manhunt 2 are being directed at the wrong people. Allow me to put you in your place. For starters, the people who play this game are not sick people. It's quite obvious that you're not a gamer, judging by the comments you're making. Said comments are actually quite ignorant, and I think it would have made yourself look a lot less stupid if you would have actually done your research and interviewed real gamers before writing your article.

Gamers play games for a number of reasons, but really it all boils down to wanting to immerse oneself in an entertaining and fantastical environment. To experience things that they will never get to experience in real life -- such as flying an airplane, driving a car at super high speeds, and yes, killing people.

I can't honestly see how you could come to the conclusion that I'm a sick person. I work for a software company. I write code. I QA computer programs. I buy my sister a gift when it's her birthday. I plant flowers at my parent's house in the spring because my Mom loves flowers. I own a cat, and I love him very much.

But I'm a sick person because I'm also a gamer? You're an idiot.

Games don't make people kill people the same way guns don't make people kill people, the same way spoons didn't make Rosie O'Donnell fat. You take away the guns and people will kill people with a piano. Take away the games and people will still kill people. (They might kill more, because you took away their games. Jackass.)

I agree that little kids shouldn't play this game. But banning the game isn't the right answer. It's the responsibility of the parent to know what's best for their children, not the gaming companies. It's not the gaming companies' fault that two immature young adults had a kid and have no fucking idea how to raise it. It's not the gaming companies' fault that someone is a bad parent and dedicates no time to their kid, instead leaving them to entertain themselves, alone, with video games.

Blame the fucking parent.

People kill people because they choose to. I have never had a problem between recognizing the difference between real life and fantasy. Whether this is a result of my upbringing or of my embedded moral code, I can't say. But I have played games my entire life, and I hesitated the day I had a clear shot at a deer when I went hunting with my grandfather.

People kill people because they choose to. Stop saying other things make people killers, because that's a load of bullshit.